The exploration of remote environments, such as space exploration, places a premium on the optimization of the use of a minimum amount of equipment taken into such areas. In remote areas, the availability of energy sources, especially multiple power sources, is limited. As such, a limited number of such sources must serve a multiple number of needs. One way to distribute power from a limited number of sources to a multiple number of applications is through the use of connection devices that enable the connection of a single output source to a multiple number of applications. However, in remote applications, the securing and unsecuring (mate/demate) of power or energy connectors is subject to a number of constraints. First, the connector sections must be properly aligned so as to mate with each other. Second, the individual conductors within the connector sections must also be properly aligned with each other. Third, the connector sections must be securely fastened to each other to prevent accidental disconnection through vibration, accidental dislocation by unsecured objects, and other disruptive forces. Although connectors can be readily secured and unsecured in a manned environment, the problem of effectively mating and demating electrical connectors in a remote environment is quite complex.
Although the problems involved in connector manipulation have been addressed in several contexts, none have direct bearing on the securing and unsecuring of connectors in remote environments. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,581,956 to Robert, a stud bolt screwing/unscrewing apparatus is described for securing the lid of a reactor vessel in a nuclear reactor. U.S. Pat. No. 4,523,884 to Clement et al. reveals a remote telescopic manipulation assembly that is retractable into a tightly sealed hood. U.S. Pat. No. 4,420,199 to Vis et al. discloses rotary joint cable connectors for use with welding cables on robots. U.S. Pat. No. 4,246,809 to Keast et al. shows a power tong apparatus for making and breaking threaded connections between length of small diameter pipe. U.S. Pat. No. 4,218,172 to Freund relates to a method of and an arrangement for controlling manipulators or industrial robots. The above patents appear to be only of general applicability to the present invention. None of the patents accomplish the purposes of the present invention.